Postpartum Healing

    I should have written this article sooner, but I was so sleep deprived after having Toddler P. that I forgot all about it. But I was recently talking to a friend who gave birth two weeks ago, she is currently healing from a tear both internal and external, and it thrust my memory back into what it was like to heal from a third degree tear. Note: the numbers indicates the original article the research came from. 
    So I'm writing this article for all of you mommas who have torn after labor and need some guidance as to how to encourage healing and what helps comfort that soreness. First off, not all women tear from a vaginal birth... and most women don't typically get a third or fourth degree tear (only about 2 percent of women), especially not a internal tear. But for all of you pregnant ladies who are pinning this article for later, here is what the various degrees of tears look like:

• First degree tears - are considered "superficial tears involving the skin of the perineum and the tissue around the opening of the vagina or the outermost layer of the vagina itself, but no muscles. These tears... are often so small that few or no stitches are required. They usually heal quickly and cause little or no discomfort." (1)
• Second degree tears - "go deeper, into the muscles underneath. These tears need to be stitched closed, layer by layer. They'll cause you some discomfort and usually take a few weeks to heal. The stitches dissolve on their own during the healing period." (2)
• Third degree tears - "is a tear or laceration through the perineal muscles and the muscle layer that surrounds the anal canal. This requires stitches and can take a similar time to a 2nd degree tear (two months or so), if not longer, before the wound is healed and the area comfortable." (3).
• Fourth degree tears - "goes through the anal sphincter all the way into the anal canal or rectum. Most women with this condition will have no ongoing problems, with the appropriate management (including good personal hygiene by you, diet, physiotherapy, pain medication and laxatives)." (4).

   As I mentioned earlier, I had a third degree tear. I had this level of a tear because I was induced, had an epidural, labored on my back, and pushed non-stop for three hours. But the doctor did a great job sewing me up, and the hardest part then was the recovery and moving afterwards. 

   A few hours in the postpartum area of the hospital, and I realized I could not sit or move easily because of the tear. Here are the things the helped me not only in the hospital but recovering at home:

• Buy an Inflatable Donut: This is so cheap and a great way to relieve the pressure of sitting on the tear. Inflatable donuts usually cost any where from $5 to $15 (at Walmart or Walgreens).

• Sitz Bath: Most hospitals give you this for recovery after labor. But if your hospital doesn't initially, ask for one. These are amazing and so helpful for recovery. It helps relieve inflammation and is so comforting. Just fill with luke warm water and sit in it for 10 to 15 minutes.

• Perineum Bottle: This too should be given to you after labor in the postpartum ward. This is great to relieve pain while peeing. You just fill it with luke warm water and squirt while urinating. Both the sitz baths and the perineum bottle also help to keep the area clean.

           

• Witch Hazel Frozen Pads: I cannot express enough how helpful this is to relieve pain from a tear! After birth, you will be leaking lochia anyway (it's like a heavy period that lasts for two months or so)... so you will need to wear rather large pads. The frozen witch hazel pads help to ease the perineum pain, while preventing leaking. Another plus, is that witch hazel is comforting and has anti-inflammatory properties! Here are instructions on how to make your own frozen witch hazel pads.

• Take Ibuprofen. Ibuprofen is safe to take while breastfeeding and is the lesser pain killer that is offered by hospitals. I took one a day for the first few weeks, and it helped a lot with the pain.
• Take it easy. I know this is hard to do. You want to get things done, you want to move around, but in order to let everything heal properly you have to take it easy. Rest. Sleep when baby sleeps. Take care of yourself. You will have plenty of time to get stuff done in a few months, do not worry about what needs to get done now. I did not take it easy at first and pushed myself after having Toddler P. I am a doer, but the problem is my body wasn't ready for that. Thankfully I didn't hurt anything, it just set me back a few days. So I'm going to say it again, take it easy and rest. Enjoy your newest bundle of joy! 

    Did you tear when you were in labor? What helped with comfort and healing for you?

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Need more information on vaginal tears? Here is a helpful link.

Picturesque Birth and My Story of Labor

    Well since my 37 Week pregnancy post, so much has happened! I had my baby, a few days early too. Which was a bit of a surprise to my husband and I, since everyone said that typically the first child is late. Well our dear daughter was early! 

    It was definitely a rough labor too, but the Lord blessed us through it. First I had my bloody show and contractions started early on a Sunday morning. That night, or rather that next morning, my water broke early in the AM (all over the bathroom floor). Stupidly I woke my husband up right away, so excited that labor had officially started (right?) Ha! Boy were we wrong. 

    We had hired a doula and so I contacted her right away, we were disappointed to hear her say to get rest and just take it easy. Here we thought the baby was coming in hours but we were wrong! I guess we thought this because the hospital and doctors had warned that if my water broke we needed to get to the hospital right away. But the doula instructed us otherwise. We believed she knew best so we stayed home. 

    My contractions came fairly close together, about five minutes apart, so we called our doula. She came over, to help me through laboring at home for as long as we could. Unfortunately what my husband and I realized many hours later, but failed to think through at the time, was that I am a private person and also a mother hen at the same time. So having a stranger in our home, staying over night, I became more concerned about her comfort level and her than labor. So because of my anxiety levels, contractions eventually stopped. Meanwhile, it had been over 24 hours since my water broke (and it was continuously leaking)... so we sent the doula home so I could try to relax and get the contractions to come back.

    Soon after sending her home, my parents called in a panic. They both were getting very concerned that I had not gone to the hospital yet, by this time my husband was very concerned too. I decided it was time to go to the hospital in spite of what the doula told us to do. Thank God we did. When we got to the hospital they were shocked that I had gone 32 hours since my water had broken. They put me on antibiotic and pitocin to induce labor. They said they really wanted to avoid a csection and actually abide by my wishes so I had to induce, since labor wasn't continuing naturally. 

    I was crushed. I wanted so badly to have a natural labor, and I knew that being put on pitocin made it very hard to do, since contractions would eventually come faster and faster.

    We asked my mom to come so she could be there with me and pray. Thank God we did, because she asked all of her prayer partners to pray and helped be a support that I really needed. Mr. Picturesque of course was so supportive, but he was just trying to help me cope through the contractions. Unfortunately the doula coached me in a way that did not help with the contractions, she wanted me to groan and moan through them... but instead I just yelled. Breathing through the contractions, or lamaze, was a better coping mechanism but she did not coach me in that way. Unfortunately, like with my water breaking, she again encouraged us to do something that was not best. We trusted her, because she supposedly was trained in this area and had her Masters degree in perinatal health.  

    After an additional ten hours or so of labor in the hospital, and consistent contractions, I was so exhausted. The contractions were so close together and the pitocin increased them just as I was getting adjusted to the new wave. I couldn't take it any more. Because of this, exhausted as I was... I weakly talked to my husband about the possibility of an epidural. He knew it must be pretty bad if I was asking for this, because I desperately had wanted to have a natural birth. But by this point I had been awake for over 48 hours, and had barely eaten anything. I was weak and couldn't imagine how I was going to make it through the delivery process. 

    I talked about it with the doula, only for her to tell me that I shouldn't get an epidural. At this point she was very upset that I had gone to the hospital at all, gone on pitocin and that labor wasn't progressing the way she thought it should. So I wasn't surprised at all when she responded this way. My mom, however, had been used to fighting her and told me that it was okay. This was a big deal for my mom to tell me it was okay to get an epidural. I was raised knowing that she had delivered her children naturally and she always encouraged us to avoid medication unless we knew we couldn't make it. So her saying it was okay, meant the world to me. 

    When the anesthesiologist came in, I was 5 centimeters dilated and I was at 0 effacement. But I knew I needed some rest prior to pushing, or I wasn't going to make it through. The thing I absolutely refused to do was get a csection (unless that was the only way). So we decided to get the epidural. 

    Ironically the anesthesiologist was better at coaching me in breathing than the doula was. For the first time, I actually found I could deal with the contractions with his coaching. 

     I hope with my other children I can deliver naturally, but for this particular labor, the epidural helped me relax before the pushing began. Soon after receiving the epidural, I finally was able to rest and take a nap. Within an hour, I felt the need to push! I pushed for three hours straight without taking a break. The nurses encouraged me to take a break through a few of the contractions but I knew that I could do it. Besides if I took a break, it felt weird to sit there doing nothing when my body was telling me to push. As I said after three straight hours of pushing, I finally delivered our baby girl! I did have a 3rd degree tear, which was annoying, but eventually all healed!

     Finally we had met our baby girl and we were in love right away! It wasn't exactly what we had planned for labor, but God took over and it was beautiful. When it came to pushing, all of the hard work and pain was worth it. She is our baby girl and I can't imagine life without her and neither can my husband!